Parking garage baby octopus

Ok, so I guess I don't really update that often, but hey not too bad considering I don't actually have an internet connection. However, I do have a crazy cell phone that does a million different functions that are difficult to understand because it's in Japanese. The camera attached to it is as high quality as my last digital camera, which was only 2 or 3 years old i think. Also, this cell phone was free with the contract because its a year old model. People love them cell phones here. (You can email me on my phone at "agitlin1@ezweb.ne.jp")
There's also some kind of cutesy culture here that is weird and hilarious. For instance, the parking garage in the city hall, a huge modern bureaucratic center that is the tallest building in this whole area, is split into different sections that are each designated by pictures of cute little baby animals. So one can park in the baby rabbit section, puppy section, kitty section, octopus section... etc. I think something like that would be difficult to find outside of a childrens theme amusement park in the rest of the world.
Its weird to think that I'm in Japan, and sometimes almost easy to forget. Most of the people I interact with are those on my program or on some sort of similar program. Its incredibly interesting hanging out with Australians, Brits, New Zealanders, Americans and even a small handful of people from other places like Scandinavia, Italy, and India. But I don't really know many Japanese people besides my odd downstairs neighbor, my unhelpful supervisor, and sort of the english teachers at my school. My host family too, whose kids i happily ran into the other day on the street. I biked around with them and became rather late for work, but I think it was worth it. I suppose this situation will change as of tomorrow, when i will actually be going to my school full time. Still don't know how I'll meet any japanese people who are actually my age though...
In other news I did get to my first rock/punk club in Japan this past weekend, thanks to the kindness of a friendly and drunk bartender. Thankfully I'm a big music dork who could name a few Japanese bands, and talk to him about some somewhat obsucre american bands. Between his broken english and my broken japanese we talked over noisy music for almost an hour i think. He took me and a few other people into some club nearby, which shared the same dingy smokiness of any other rock club, but also had that touch of odd cleanliness that exists in most (not all) of Japan.
The next night was "welcoming night" at the beer garden (nomihoudai, all you can drink) to celebrate the final arrival of everyone who will be teaching starting next week. Also to put our first paycheck to good use. Its funny that my first paycheck put more money into my bank account than i've ever had before. I'm sure i'll spend all of it relatively soon though, as i would like a real digi cam (250ish?), elec dictionary (also 200-250ish?), more food, a better bike (which thankfully i can acquire cheap), an internet connection (50/mo?), a weekend in tokyo(who knows...), and maybe some more art supplies... All told, thats what, a thousand ish dollars? Probably more when you add random stuff. Add my rent and utilities and thats more or less my paycheck (with some room to spare thankfully). Oh well hopefully after this first month i'll be able to actually save a little up. definitly going to want to travel sometime...
You may have noticed the drinking theme of the weekend I just described. perhaps this is the little Jew in me, but I can't keep up with a lot of people, especially the UK folks who seem to be able to down an unbelievable amount of booze. But probably the last thing I need to learn how to do in Japan is ingest a ton of alcohol. In fact, I probably should be studying Japanese right now instead of rambling about nothing... Feels good to get some things down though, even though this would undoubtedly bore any reader to no end. Sorry!
Forward any complaints to me, and I'll see what I can do. Over and out.

61st anniversary

Today marks the 61st anniversary of the end of World War II in Japan, which naturally focuses almost entirely on the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in this country. Its been relatively prevalent in the news and on city hall bulletin boards (at least here in Takasaki, but I imagine the rest of the country followed suit). I can't quite vouch for everyday conversations, and school's not in session, and i wouldn't be surprised if a number of Japanese youths were only vaguely aware of the weight of this week's dates.
I may be (am) a dorky history major, but was excited to see a japanses news program translated into English discussing the subject. Most was standard fare, Japanese individuals calling for peace, nuclear disarmament, and friendly relations between nations (i assume they added this to the more general call for peace because of Japan's lagging relations with the rest of Asia). More interesting was the newscasters brief monologue after the coverage, adding that Japan's own atrocities and aggression must never be forgotten, and that the bombing was a lesson not just for the world outside of japan.
How many major newscasters in America make calls like this, staring into the camera, staring into the nation? Japan isn't usually a progressive nation concerning the acceptance of past faults, and I've heard that its media tends not to be terribly provactive. But if such an emotional and direct statement is considered standard when remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki, then there is something America (and the rest of the world?) can learn from Japan.

shit... a name that any girl will want

I believe those were the words on the back of a teenage girls t-shirt that was biking in front of me today. I biked all over these last few days, and at least half of that time was spent not entirely sure where i was. At least there are a few noticeable landmarks that i can keep my eye out for: the ubermodern skyscraper that doesn't fit in with any other building in Takasaki, the big yellow pachinko tower closer towards my place, and, though rarely, a road is sometimes even marked or named. I don't know how japanese people zip around in their little cars all the time, as almost no roads are named, and the numbers on the major routes constantly change, and there are many repeating numbers on different roads in the same area. Again, i know theres some sort of organization to all of this, because this country lives to organize things. Exactly how is beyond me though.
I have benefited from the junk that mass consumerism produces here, as i got a bunch of furniture pretty cheap, and snagged a bunch of good stereo equipment that someone put near a dumping site. Its a little old, but seems to work fine. I can't wait to use it and freak out my square neighbors who stare at me wherever i go. I probably shouldn't complain, since i'm using one of their wireless internet connections this very moment. I won't keep this long, because though i have many observations, both joyous and frustrating, about my little town in japan, I do know how seriously they take rules and laws. For all i know the Kamakura family this very moment may be angrily phoning neighbors and police. Not being japanse already attracts enough attention to myself, as does my beard and my attempts at riding my bike everywhere. Maybe even one day i'll have a phone and internet connection of my own, both of which i'm more than happy to pay for (more than willing lets say). Ah well, another day forward, hopefully in the direction of some information that may shed some light on my present or future life that is as yet a mystery to me.

widdew tokyo

Ok, so Tokyo isn't so little. I haven't really gotten a chance to see it in my few days here, which is a bit of a shame, but seeing as how I live only an hour or so away, i won't lose any sleep over it. I could say a few things about the city, but they're rallly based only on my wanderings through one part, Shinjuku, where my hotel is located. Its a relatively central district with all the japanese urban amenities like karaoke bars, noodle shacks, korean barbeque, konbinis (convenient stores), and a bajillion people, everywhere, all the time. What a huge city. It seems to strangely make sense and have a kind of organization that i can't follow. There's almost no litter or garbage as far as i can tell though. Well its there, but i mean when i think of big cities, i think of new york, and boy that place has plenty of garbage all over. Weird little tokyo, i'll be back.